For Immediate Release
AMERICA'S 5000 FASTEST-GROWING PRIVATE COMPANIES REVEALED
5000 Fast-Growth Companies to Quell Recession Fears -
List Reports Aggregate Revenue of $185 Billion
WONGDOODY Ranks No. 3248 on the 2008 Inc. 5000
With Three-Year Sales Growth of 104.3%
NEW YORK - Sept. 9, 2008 - Inc. today ranked marketing ideas agency WONGDOODY No. 3248 on its annual ranking of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the country. The list is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy - America's independent-minded entrepreneurs. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.
"Our second annual Inc. 5000 continues the most ambitious project in business journalism," said Inc. 5000 Project Manager Jim Melloan. "The Inc. 5000 gives an unrivalled portrait of young, underreported companies across all industries doing fascinating things with cutting-edge business models, as well as older companies that are still showing impressive growth."
WONGDOODY is a leading independent agency with award-winning experts in disciplines across the marketing spectrum, including advertising, interactive, design, brand strategy, connection planning and public relations.
The 5000 companies that made the list reported aggregate revenue of $185 billion and median three-year growth of 147 percent. Most important, the 2008 Inc. 5000 companies were engines of job growth, having created more than 826,033 jobs since those companies were founded. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and a list of the fastest-growing companies that can be sorted by industry and region, can be found at www.inc5000.com.
Hottest Regions for Fastest-Growing Companies
The New York metro area tops the Inc. 5000 list with the most companies of any city with 355. Washington, D.C. comes in a close second with 300 companies on the list; Los Angeles comes in third with 244 companies, and Atlanta (194 companies) and Chicago (189 companies) round out the top five. Interestingly, only 62 companies on the Inc. 5000 are not based in metropolitan areas.
Grand Rapids, Mich. leads the list with the highest median revenue of any metro area ($26.2 million, 16 companies), followed by San Antonio, Texas ($21.3 million, 25 companies), Baton Rouge, La. ($18.8 million, 14 companies), Houston ($17.1 million, 97 companies), and Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. ($16.5 million, 39 companies).
Hottest Industries for Fastest-Growing Businesses
The most notable median growth categories among the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing businesses are in the Energy category (which grew by 298 percent), followed by Government Services (which grew by 220 percent), Security (200 percent growth), IT Services and Software (both grew by 187 percent), and Consulting (which grew by 182 percent on average).
The largest business category is IT Services, with 579 Inc. 5000 companies. Business Services (532 companies), Construction (459), Manufacturing (405), and Advertising & Marketing (361) complete the top five industries ranked on the 2008 Inc. 5000.
Industries reporting the highest median revenue are Travel ($38.8 million), Financial Services ($16.3 million), Logistics ($15.4 million), Government Services ($14.2 million), and Energy ($14.2 million).
Methodology
The 2008 Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2004 through 2007. To qualify, companies must be U.S.-based and privately held, independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies - as of December 31, 2007, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2004, and $2 million in 2007.
Companies can apply for next year's Inc. 5000 by registering with "IncBizNet, Business Network for Private Companies," at www.incbiznet.com.
About Inc.com
Inc.com, the daily resource for entrepreneurs, delivers how-to guides, advice, tools, breaking news, and rich multi-media to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses. Inc.com offers dynamic marketing solutions to help advertisers effectively reach Inc.com's audience of business leaders. Visit http://www.inc.com.
About Inc. 500|Inc. 5000 Conference
Each year, Inc. magazine and Inc.com celebrate the remarkable achievements of today's entrepreneurial superstars - the privately held small businesses that drive our economy. The Inc. 500|Inc. 5000 Conference brings together members of the Inc. 5000 community - both a new class of Inc. 5000 honorees and the list's alumni - for three days of powerful networking, inspired learning, and momentous celebration. For the first time ever, this powerful networking event is open to all. Please join us September 18-20, 2008 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington, D.C. For more information or to register, visit www.Inc500Conference.com or call us at 877-211-0489.
About WONGDOODY
WONGDOODY is an independently owned full-service marketing ideas agency with offices in Seattle and Los Angeles. Clients include Alaska Airlines, Alpine Electronics, Autodesk,
T-Mobile and the Washington State Department of Health. WONGDOODY has 160 employees and $180 million in billings. For more information visit www.wongdoody.com.
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Media Contact:
Connie Sung
WONGDOODY
(310) 280-7963